Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Gender Norms: Born With Them or Created?
Gender norms exist because we allow them to exist. We live in a world where humans tend to believe that since men and women are different genetically, they need to look and act different, too. This is a construed concept because although I have two X chromosomes, and the guy sitting next to me has an X and a Y chromosome, that does not mean that we can't or shouldn't act the same or look the same. When you initially glance at an animal such as a cat, you are unable to determine whether or not that cat is a male or a female (unless you force yourself to look at their genitalia, which I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate). This is because cats' minds are not complex enough to create such absurd gender roles that we as humans created. A person walking down the street, who you may be unable to decipher whether or not they are male or female, should not be called an "it" because you are too ignorant to realize that they are human like you and I. As Eckert states in "Learning to Be Gendered", we allow these gender norms to exist just by picking pink for a girl, or blue for a boy. The purpose gender norms serve in our society today is just another way to judge a person by what they like or how they act. In the same way that we have freedom of speech, we should also have a freedom of individuality; the ability to express oneself physically or mentally in a manner that he or she deems fit.
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I completely agree with you in the fact that gender norms exist because we allow them to exist. But i feel as if they do serve somewhat of a purpose. It shouldn't be called "gender norms" it should be something along the lines of "sex norms" because your sex is how you are born and your gender is how you choose to see and represent yourself. We do have the freedom of individuality just as we have the freedom of speech. No matter what people are going to judge other people, it doesn't matter what they're wearing or what they're saying because they will be judged just the same. A cat doesn't necessarily have "gender norms" to the eye of a human, but they do have things that only male cats do and there are other things that only female cats do. It is honestly all about appearance and how individuals see other individuals.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you closed this blog with the last sentence, “we should also have a freedom of individuality; the ability to express oneself physically or mentally in a manner that he or she deems fit.” Gender norms in our society are a necessity because it can give us a road map on things we should like, things we should wear, ect. and through going through these norms, we can choose to be different and stray from the pack. Authors Penelope Eckert and Sally McConnel-Ginet state in Learning to be Gendered, “being a boy or girl…something that is actively done both by the individual so categorized by those who interact with it in the various communities…” When we are old enough, we realize what gender role we have been born with and so by this sentence in Learning to Be Gendered, emphasizes how we are told these norms, shown these norms on TV and media, and it sort of gives us the “right” way to be. And if we don’t follow those norms, we are looked at in a different light for the sole reason of being different. Gender norms are a necessity in society because it gives everyone a chance to be different and just because you might not be accepted for who YOU truly believe that you are, no one is stopping you.
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ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your point that gender norms exist only because our society allows them to. In the essay, "Learning to Be Gendered", authors Penelope Eckert and Sally McConnel-Ginet state "Indeed, we do not know how to interact with another human being (or often members of other species), or how to judge them and talk about them, unless we can attribute a gender to them" (739). And I completely disagree with this statement and completely agree with yours. No matter what, today's society are going to judge other people just by what that person is wearing, how they smell, and even how they look. However, the ability to express ourselves in a way we want to be view should always be accepted. Although people around us may not think it follows the "gender norms" it gives your the opportunity to be DIFFERENT and UNIQUE and YOU.
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